


The Plan

by Whokuu



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, and angst is my thing, because I'm a jerk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-29 21:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5142419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whokuu/pseuds/Whokuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had a plan. They always had a plan, Eve made sure of that. Sure, sometimes their initial plans didn’t work, but they’d figure it out in the end.<br/>Well, today was one of those days where things just didn’t work out as planned. At all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Plan

The day started off normal enough… Or as normal as a day can get working in the Annex, anyway. The LITs were itching to go off on another adventure, especially with Flynn back from trying to locate the Library for a bit. The clippings book always had something new every day after all, so they always had something new to look at and consider investigating.

“Hey, I found one that’s worth lookin’ at,” Jake said, looking intently at an article in the clippings book.

Cassandra looked up from a book she was reading. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, come take a look.”

Cassandra hopped out of the chair she was sitting in, setting the book down on the table next to it and came over next to Jake to look at the article.

“People are going missing in Bordeaux...” Cassandra read aloud.

Ezekiel, who had been off in the corner reading a comic book, looked up.

“Missing?”

Cassandra looked over at Ezekiel and nodded. “Yeah, come take a look for yourself.”

So Ezekiel got up and peered at the article with Jake and Cassandra. “’People have been going missing without a trace over the past few months. Authorities are stumped.’” Ezekiel frowned, “This reminds me of when we dealt with the Minotaur.”

Cassandra nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

“We should tell Baird-“

“Tell me what?” Eve asked, walking into the room with Flynn close behind her.

Jake looked up from the clippings book and hesitated. “We found where we should go next.”

Flynn clapped his hands in approval, oblivious to Jake’s behavior. “Great! What’s it about?”

Unlike Flynn, Eve had picked up on Jake’s hesitance and walked over to look at the article herself. “Another missing person’s case?”

All three LITs nodded their heads.

Eve frowned. “It doesn’t give much more information except that it’s in Bordeaux and people are going missing. Are you guys sure this is magic related?”

Cassandra shook her head. “No, but something strange is going on there. Otherwise it wouldn’t be in the clippings book.”

Eve still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know about this. With so little information…” She trailed off.

“Come on, Colonel Baird, we’ve gone on less before. Let us go,” Ezekiel complained.

Eve shot Ezekiel a look.

“He’s right, though,” Jake said, seeming to dislike what he just said.

“Can we go, please?” Cassandra pleaded.

“It’ll be fine, Eve,” Flynn reassured her. “It could be something small, or it could be dangerous. That’s the way it works.”

Eve sighed, knowing she couldn't fight with them all. Especially with Flynn backing them up. “Fine,” she concluded, “We’ll go.”

The absolutely delighted LITs went off to get ready while Eve and Flynn prepared in their own ways.

 

So, it turned out that Bordeaux had an issue- a major one. They had a Rougarou problem.

“Rougarou?” Eve raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, a Rougarou. They originally derive from French stories about the _loup-garo,_ or _wolf-man._ They're often described as having glowing red eyes and razor sharp teeth,” Flynn explained.

“So, like a werewolf?”

“Not quite. But you’re in the ballpark. Legends about Rougarous vary upon religion. In Catholic, they’re said to hunt down Catholics who have broken the rules of Lent. In others, Rougarous resemble the boogieman. “If you don’t behave, the Rougarou will come and get you!” And-”

“-I get the picture, Flynn. Please get to the point. What type is this one?”

Flynn paused. “I’m not sure, honestly. But most Rougarous have one thing in common.”

“And what’s that?”

“They eat human flesh.”

“Oh.”

Cassandra grimaced. “They eat _human flesh?”_

“That’s… disturbing,” Ezekiel said, frowning.

“And there’s one of those things in this city _right now?”_ Jake asked, already knowing the answer.

Flynn nodded his head. “Yes, and it is killing people. It needs to be stopped.”

“So, where do you think we would find this Rougarou?” Eve asked.

“We’ll probably best wait until nightfall. Rougarous are known to hide in forests, and I don’t suppose any of you want to be wandering in there.”

Cassandra’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

“But we can map out where all the victims were taken and see if there’s a pattern.” Eve said, pulling out a map on Bordeaux and unfolding it on the table. “You said earlier that Rougarous aren’t mindless, right?” she asked, looking at Flynn.

Flynn was looking intently at the map. “Right. They’re not. Most frequently, they’re very much aware of what they are. Maybe not all of what they’re doing, but again, that depends on the folklore.”

They all took turns looking at the research they did and marking down where each victim went missing.

Eve squinted at the collection of marks on the map. “Am I seeing this right?”

“Yeah, you’re seeing it right. It’s going in a full circle around the town,” Jake muttered.

“Nobody ever said the thing had to be smart,” Ezekiel quipped.

“But it still is a pattern,” Cassandra said, tracing the circle with her finger.

“I still have a question, though,” Eve said. “How exactly do we get rid of a Rougarou?”

“By setting them on fire or decapitating them,” Flynn said simply.

Eve visibly shuddered. “Alright then…”

“Now we wait for nightfall!” Flynn said with a little too much enthusiasm for everyone’s taste.

They had prepared some explosives to be set off. Not everyone agreed with this idea, and it caused some bickering, but they didn’t have much choice in the matter.

"Rougarous, have a taste for human flesh, right?" Eve inquired, looking at Flynn.

He nodded at her. "They also generally are about 8-9 feet tall. At their size, they could overpower us in a heartbeat.

Eve paused at this. "Then decapitation is _definitely_ out of the question. I'm not letting _any_ of you," looking particularly at Flynn, "anywhere near it."

She saw all of them slowly nod in agreement to her decision for them.

They settled down on a patio outside of a store at the edge of the city. This where Eve (hopefully) thought the Rougarou would hit next.

This, of course, meant they were all there waiting for _hours_.

Ezekiel yawned, “When is this thing supposed to show up anyway? We’ve been here for hours.”

Jake snorted. “I’m surprised you’re still awake.”

“I take offense to that.”

Eve rubbed her temples in irritation. “Stop it. Both of you.” Oh, how much did she want to send them both back to the Library. She didn’t, though. They were on a mission and they were all going to follow through with it. Flynn varied between non-stop talking to peaceful silence in the hours they had all been there. Sometimes he would keep to himself in the silence, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Cassandra was curled up in a chair, reading to the pass time.

Then they heard growling all too close to them.

Eve was the first to jump up, gun drawn in habit.

“Eve, guns won’t work on Rougarous,” Flynn oh so helpfully reminded her, standing near her.

“I _know_ that! But I’m sure as hell not leaving us completely unprotected!”

Cassandra, Ezekiel and Jake were up now as well, all on high alert.

“This might not be the best time but—“Flynn was cut off by Eve firing her gun in the direction of the growling. “You can’t look a Rougarou in the eye! Legend has it, their stare can turn you!”

 _“Now_ you tell me this information? You’re a little late, Librarian!” Eve hissed in frustration, still trying to pinpoint exactly where the Rougarou was.

“Baird, look out!” Ezekiel shouted just as the Rougarou leaped out of the shadows at Eve.

Eve narrowly avoided the Rougarou- taking Flynn down with her- and it crashed into the table they had all once been sitting at moments ago.

“I thought it was supposed to be a bit to the south of us, not on top of us!” Jake shouted, quickly distancing himself from the Rougarou.

“It evidently changed its mind when it saw us!” Ezekiel said, focusing on the explosives they had set nearby.

Eve caught sight of Ezekiel staring at the explosives. _Wait a minute..._ “Jones, no!”

Too late.

Ezekiel shot for the explosives, which caught the attention of the Rougarou. He had almost, _almost_ made it to them before it caught up to him, slamming its large paw into him, sending Ezekiel hurtling through the air.

“Ezekiel, no!!” Cassandra screamed, horrified when Ezekiel landed on the pavement nearby with a sickening thud.

Ezekiel didn’t get up.

 _No. No. No._ Eve thought. _No, this cannot be happening again, no._

The Rougarou was stalking towards Ezekiel now.

Flynn, who had for the whole time Eve believed to be silent from shock, took a step forward.

Eve looked at him. “Flynn,” she said sharply. “What are you thinking of doing—“

Flynn started waving his arms. “Hey, you!” He shouted at the Rougarou. “Limp prey is no fun, is it?”

This made the Rougarou turn towards him.

“Come get me!” Flynn said, running in the opposite direction.

“FLYNN, NO!” Eve shouted at him desperately, but he was already well on his way with the Rougarou hot on his trail.

Eve was torn. She couldn’t go after Flynn and check on Ezekiel at the same time. _Dammit, Flynn,_ she thought. _Always living at the seat of his pants. He’ll be fine,_ she tried reassuring herself. _He always is._

Cassandra and Jake had already crowded around Ezekiel, checking him over.

Cassandra touched Ezekiel’s side and it was wet. “He’s bleeding!” Cassandra cried.

This snapped Eve out of her thoughts. “What?!” She rushed over to the LITs, making Jake and Cassandra move out of the way so she could see for herself.

“Ezekiel, please wake up,” Cassandra whispered, tears in her eyes.

“Come on, Jones. You can get up from this,” Jake added, just as distraught as Cassandra.

“This is bad,” Eve murmured, “Really bad.” _No. No. No._ Her hands were starting to tremble. “We need to get him back to the Library, _now!”_

When they returned to the Library, Cassandra immediately scurried off to get the first aid kit and towels to clean Ezekiel's wounds.

"Mind helping me get his clothes off?" Eve asked Jake after they set Ezekiel down on the table.

"Sure thing."

Once they got off Ezekiel’s hoodie and shirt, Eve could see the true extent of his wounds. Five distinct claw marks raked up Ezekiel’s side. She remained focused on looking at his wounds that she didn't notice that Cassandra was rushing up to her.

Cassandra quickly set down the first aid kit and towels of varying sizes. "Here, I got most of everything."

Eve turned to look at Cassandra. "Thank you."

"Stone will be back with a basin of water soon."

 _Wait._  Eve stopped.  _When did Stone go..?_ She brushed off her thoughts and nodded at Cassandra.

Soon after she had brushed off her thoughts, Jake had returned with the basin.

Both LITs settled on sitting down behind Eve.

Now she could start working.

 _Right. First thing's first._ She dipped one of the small towels in the basin and gingerly started cleaning Ezekiel's wounds.

There was so much blood on his side--

_Blood. Screaming. Death._

Eve blinked, shaking slightly. She could feel the stares of both Cassandra and Jake boring into her back.

 _Keep it together, Eve._  She paused for a moment to steady her voice. “There's a lot of blood, but his wounds aren't too deep. I think the initial impact of the Rougarou’s paw was what knocked him out. He’s going to be bruised for weeks.” She smiled wistfully. “And he’ll be complaining the whole time.”

She heard Cassandra and Jake sigh in relief behind her.

“Oh thank god,” Cassandra said, her voice cracking.

Jake walked up to Eve and looked at Ezekiel’s unconscious body on the table. “When do you reckon he’ll wake up?”

Eve shook her head. “I don’t know. It could be a while, or it could be very soon.” She was starting to shake a bit more noticeably now. Not enough to garner the attention of Cassandra or Jake yet, but enough.

Jake solemnly nodded his head.

_They’ll never wake up. They’re dead._

_No. Stop it, Eve. Stop shaking._ She stopped working on Ezekiel, gaining a questioning look from Jake. "Can you..?" Looking at Jake and motioning to Ezekiel. 

"Yeah, I can take over." Jake said, taking the towel from Eve's hands.

She had to take a step out of the room to try and regain her composure. _How could I let this happen? We always have a plan B. Always._

But now Ezekiel got hurt.

Flynn was still missing.

 _So much for being a good Guardian,_ Eve snorted. _I’m losing my Librarians left and right._ She stopped. _My Librarians._ Eve slid down the wall onto the floor. _My family._ She felt sick to her stomach. _My family. They’re my family and they’re hurt. Just like—_

_Fire was all around her. She could hear screaming from her team. Her anti-terrorism team. They were screaming- no- she was too—_

She froze. She completely froze where she was.

She heard the sound of someone coming down the hall, gaining her attention. She saw Flynn round the corner, all in one piece, stopping when he noticed her against the wall.

“Hey, is Ezekiel Jones alright?”

Something snapped in Eve just then and she stood up, grabbing him roughly by his vest. “Don’t you dare EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”

He stumbled back at her sudden outburst. “Eve, Eve. I’m fine, really!”

Eve shuddered and let go of his vest. “I…I know.”

“Hey,” he said putting his hands on her shoulders. “Are you alright?”

 _I can’t. I can’t lose them. I almost lost two of them today._ Eve felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. “No, Flynn. No, I’m not. Ezekiel got badly hurt today, and I almost lost you too. I can’t lose any of you, do you understand me? I can’t—” she bursts into tears, dropping down to her knees on the floor.

“Eve!” Flynn quickly dropped down to the floor with her. “We’re all here.”

Eve choked back a sob. “Barely.”

Flynn pulled himself closer to Eve and hugged her. “No, we’re all here. We had a close call, but we’re all here safe and sound.”

“I’m not good enough,” she sobbed, “What type of Guardian am I if I can’t protect all of you?” Her despair grew with every moment. “What if something like this happens again, Flynn? I can’t…. I can’t do this, Flynn. I can’t.”

Flynn pulled her a little closer and started rubbing his hands up and down her back, trying to comfort her. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known, Eve. Don’t ever doubt yourself.”

Eve rested her head against Flynn's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. She couldn't believe it, but the combination of his soothing motions and his heartbeat was calming her down.

“We’re all still alive because of you. You’re our Guardian and you’re doing an amazing job.” Giving her a small smile, he added, “Especially when we make your job harder for you to do.”

With the combination of what he was doing already, now she started to believe what he was saying and slowly started to still in his arms.

“Sure, things got rough back there, but you did your best to take care of us all. I'm sure that you've already taken charge of Ezekiel's well being."

This sounded more like a question than a statement, but she couldn't speak, so she gripped him a little bit tighter.

“You’re a good person, Eve. You are strong. Stronger than you know. Never forget that.” He kissed the top of her head.

Eve let out a shaky breath and buried her head into the crook of Flynn’s neck, breathing him in. His scent was comforting, familiar. Flynn was her safe place. No matter what had happened, she always felt completely secure in his arms. As the tension in her body started to seep out, she melted into his embrace.

It was just them, sitting there for another few minutes as Eve slowly stopped trembling. Flynn, however, did not stop his comforting motions. They remained like this for a while longer after Eve’s terror had subsided before she lifted her head to meet Flynn’s gaze.

“Did you really mean it?”

Flynn nodded, “Yes, Eve. All of it.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N  
> First fic I've ever written! It took me a long time to actually get myself to even start writing, but I'm glad I did.  
> So this basically started out as a little headcannon of mine. That Eve has had/has PTSD from her experience in anti-terrorism. She's been on more than one tour, after all. This is something I discussed with [Sanzochan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sanzochan/pseuds/Alasse%20Fefalas)  
> and I built off from there. She gets some credit in the making of this, specifically some of the dialog in the ending. (Starting at where Eve is sobbing about not being good enough.) That was a combination of us both!  
> Well anyhow, I'm done rambling here. I would appreciate if you can give me some feedback on this. I still have very little confidence in my writing, so I'm not so sure on how good this is. And lastly, a big thank you to [Fangirlishness](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlishness/pseuds/Fangirlishness)  
> for being my beta! You helped out a lot!


End file.
